The meeting was convened one month after India’s Lok Sabha elections, in which the ruling BJP performed poorly, dropping to 33 seats, 29 fewer than in 2019. The Indian camp saw the Samajwadi Party (SP) strengthen by winning 37 seats, 32 more than in 2019, while the Indian National Congress gained six seats.
“The BJP has paid the price for its overconfidence,” Yogi Adityanath said at the meeting (file photo).
Key highlights
- In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP was reduced to 33 seats in Uttar Pradesh.
- “The BJP has paid the price for its overconfidence,” Yogi Adityanath said.
- Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya asked BJP activists to continue working for the party.
New Delhi: The review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister pointed out the huge decline in ‘Thakur’ and ‘Yadav’ votes as the main reason for the BJP’s poor performance in the recent Lok Sabha elections. Yogi Adityanath The meeting, held in Lucknow on Wednesday, was convened a month after national elections in which the ruling BJP was reduced to 33 seats, 29 fewer than in 2019.
The BJP report also cited the Samajwadi Party’s success in retaining the “Yadav Muslim” vote as a reason for its electoral defeat. Led by Akhilesh Yadav, the party won 37 seats, 32 more than in 2019, while the Indian National Congress won six seats.
“The BJP has paid the price for its overconfidence. Its opponents, who were dejected before the elections, are now emboldened,” Yogi Adityanath said at the state government meeting in Lucknow.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya said the “organisation is bigger than the government” and urged BJP workers to continue working for the party. “In the BJP’s plan, the organisation always comes before the government. Hence, all ministers, state legislators and office-bearers should respect the workers and take care of their dignity. I am a party member first and Deputy Chief Minister second,” Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya said at the same venue.
Maurya’s remarks were seen as an implicit criticism of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The Samajwadi Party alleged that the remarks were a sign of tensions and infighting within the ruling BJP. “Governance and administration in Uttar Pradesh has been put on the back burner. Infighting within the ruling BJP is affecting the administration of the state. No one in the BJP has the people in mind. The party’s decline has begun,” Akhilesh Yadav said.
In response to the Samajwadi Party leader, Keshav Prasad Mauryasaid in a post on X that the BJP’s government and organisation in India and in the state are strong. “There can be no return of SP’s rogue rule in Uttar Pradesh. BJP will see a repeat of 2017 in the 2027 state elections,” he posted on X.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday met state ministers at his official residence and discussed the upcoming Assembly by-elections to 10 constituencies.
The meeting also discussed the floods in the state, which have so far affected over 700 villages in 17 districts.
“The meeting was held specifically to discuss the upcoming elections. We will win all the 10 seats where by-elections are to be held,” Finance Minister Suresh Khanna told news agency PTI.
According to sources, the meeting was attended by all Uttar Pradesh cabinet ministers and ministers of state.
The 10 Assembly seats that are scheduled to go to polls are Katehali (Ambedkar Nagar), Kalhar (Mainpuri), Mirchipur (Ayodhya), Meerapur (Muzaffarnagar), Ghaziabad, Majhawan (Mirzapur), Sisamau (Kanpur Nagar), Khair (Aligarh), Phulpur (Prayagraj) and Kundalki (Moradabad).
Nine of the 10 seats fell vacant when members resigned after winning the Lok Sabha elections. Prominent among these seats was Karhar (Mainpuri), which fell vacant when Socialist Party leader Akhilesh Yadav resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha from Kannauj.
The Sisamau Assembly seat held by SP’s Irfan Solanki from Kanpur Nagar has been declared vacant as he was disqualified following the seven-year imprisonment sentence given by the MP/MLA court.
